Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Army general asks NDf-CPP-NPA for bilateral ceasefire in disaster areas


FORT MAGSAYSAY, Nueva Ecija – The chief of the Army’s 7th Infantry (Kaugnay) Division (7th ID) based in this camp yesterday called on the National Democratic Front (NDF), the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA) to forge a bilateral ceasefire with government forces in known disaster-prone areas all over the country.
            
         Brig. Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr, 7th ID commanding general said the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the NDF-CPP-NPA are waging a struggle against a common enemy of the state which is climate change.
        
        “We are now fighting a new war that is climate change. The challenge is for our counterparts from the NDF-CPP-NPA to agree to a ceasefire in  disaster-prone areas all over the country and to help build disaster-proof facilities such as school buildings that can be converted into evacuation centers during calamities,” Catapang said.

“Why do we only declare a ceasefire after a disaster has happened when there is already loss of lives. Let us declare it now,” he said.
       
      Catapang said the gravity of the damage wrought by typhoon Pablo in Mindanao where over 1,000 died, 800 still missing and P24 billion was lost calls for concerted action. “It is high time to roll up our sleeves and instead of   
engaging in warfare against fellow Filipinos, we must unite and help rebuild the affected communities,” he said.

Catapang said the 7th ID has fully committed itself to helping those affected by deploying soldiers in the affected areas.
   
      He said the division, which holds jurisdiction over Army units in 13 provinces in Central Luzon and Northern Luzon cancelled most of its Christmas Celebration activities and the money that was intended for these was instead donated to calamity victims.

Each one of the 7th ID’s soldiers also pledged to donate at least one canned good.

Catapang said the division also held fund-raising events such as the commander’s cup, battle of the bands among others, proceeds of which will be forwarded to the affected communities.

A collection booth will be set-up by the 7th ID at NE Pacific Mall in  Cabanatuan City for those who want to donate relief goods to the calamity victims.  These donations and relief goods will be transported to Villamor Air Base via military truck and delivered to Davao via a cargo plane and received by one of its brigades based in Davao Oriental on December 28.

       Catapang’s call on the NDF-CPP-NPA was prompted by a study conducted by the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) International Disaster Data Base from 1905-2003 which indicated that typhoons and storms account for the highest percentage of deaths (66%) of the nine listed form of natural and man-made disasters such as earthquake, volcanic eruptions, flood, landslide, infectious diseases, tidal waves, drought, fire and pest infestation.

          Based on records, from January to December of 2011, of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC), 19 tropical cyclones entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility, 10 of which were  destructive among them Bebeng (May 8-11), Chedeng (May 20-28), Falcon (June 21-25), Juaning (July 25-28), Kabayan (July 28-Aug 5), Mina (Aug 21-29), Pedring (Sept 24-28), Quiel (Sept 29-Oct 2), Ramon (Oct 10-14), and Sendong (Dec 15-18).

          Affected by these cyclones were Regions 1, 2I, 3II, 4-A, 4-B, 5 to 13, the  Cordillera Administrative Region and the National Capital Region which left 1,541 dead, affected 2,062,647 families (9,867,622 persons), totally damaged 38,088 houses, and P26,502,337,198.73 trillion worth of properties.

          Catapang said based on these, it is evident that the threat posed by these natural calamities further enhanced by climate change and global warming generates more casualties than any other threats like crimes and insurgency.

          He said the AFP is seeing the death of insurgency and the ushering in of  development in Regions 1 and 3.

          “Ultimately, we will be fighting a different war, a war on Climate Change,” he said. (Manny Galvez)

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